


endlessly fascinating

by mixtapestar



Category: Lovely Little Losers
Genre: M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-07
Updated: 2016-01-07
Packaged: 2018-05-12 07:43:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5658196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mixtapestar/pseuds/mixtapestar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shortly before Faustus, Fred Boyet encounters Costa McClure again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	endlessly fascinating

**Author's Note:**

> "The theater's so endlessly fascinating because it's so accidental. It's so much like life." - Arthur Miller
> 
> I just couldn't resist writing this pairing. Hopefully I'm not alone in my love of them. :P

A few days after Balthazar and his mates leave town to head back to Auckland, Fred is greeted by a familiar face while leaving the market. He's just pulling his car keys from his pocket when he hears a shout. He recognizes Costa immediately.

“You!” Costa shouts as he spots him. “You’re the fellow with the house… that was… quite large. Vegan Fred? Is that your given name?”

“It was given to me, yes. But it’s just Fred. Fred Boyet,” he says, offering his hand.

“Ah,” says Costa, shaking his hand vigorously. “Costa McClure. Theatre connoisseur and co-founder of the Nine Worthies.”

“Yes, I remember you. You, um, made quite an entrance,” Fred says with a laugh, adjusting his glasses.

“Oh,” Costa says, seeming pleased.

“How is your production of Faustus coming along, now that Peter’s left town?”

“Oh, it’s actually quite brilliant,” Costa begins, his excitement building as he speaks. “You see, we’ve all brought in our laptops, and Peter will be playing his role via Google Hangout. The idea is for each audience member to experience the main character _from their seats_ , though if the audience is as large as it should be there will have to be some sharing, obviously.”

“Wow,” Fred says, because try as he might, he can’t picture how that will work at all.

“I know, right? It’s going to be brilliant! I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. We could pull talent from around the globe! But for now, our primary focus must be Faustus. Do you have a ticket? It’s _pretty_ last-minute, but I can probably get you a seat for our performance tomorrow night.”

“No, I, uh— I don’t have a ticket,” Fred says. He can’t decide if it would be a terrible idea to see this play or if his curiosity is too strong.

Costa is already reaching for his wallet. “Say no more, say no more. You can use this one,” he says, handing it over. “It was meant to be for my date, but, well. Why don’t you have it? I’m sure I can always get another.”

“Oh, are you sure?” Fred says, hesitantly taking the ticket. “I don’t want to keep you from inviting someone special…”

“Oh, I’m positive!” Costa says brightly. “And if you do want to bring your laptop, that would actually be a big help.”

“Of course,” Fred says, catching some of Costa’s enthusiasm. “If it would help, I could probably borrow a half dozen or so laptops from some mates?”

Costa just blinks at him for a second. “You… I’m sorry?”

“I could get you some extra laptops to use,” Fred repeats, “if you think you’ll need them.”

“I… yes. _Yes_. That would be brilliant,” Costa says, reaching out to place a hand on Fred’s arm. “It’s Fred Boyet, yes? Let me make some calls, see if I can get your name on the program.”

“Oh, there’s no need for that—” Fred tries to say, but Costa is already pulling out his phone and walking away.

“And your ticket will be good for the afterparty, as well!” Costa calls across the way, though he also quickly says something into the phone at his ear. He calls out one last time, “See you tomorrow!”

Fred stares down at the ticket in his hand and can’t help but smile.

***

Fred shows up early with the laptops and a couple carafes of coffee. He’s not sure if they’ll be allowed to serve the audience, but he’s sure at least the cast and crew could use a pick-me-up.

“You again,” Jaquie says when he walks in with the first set of laptops.

“Hi Jaquie!” Fred says brightly. “You can stop pretending you don’t know me. You were at my house for five hours yesterday.”

Jaquie waves him off absently. “I take it Meg’s coming later?”

“Not sure,” he says, setting his stuff down on a nearby chair. “She didn’t mention it to me.”

She clucks her tongue and immediately starts texting on her phone. Fred shrugs and goes back to get the rest of the stuff from his car.

He helps get the laptops set up, which leads to tracking down a charger for Paige’s phone, and before he knows it, the show is about to begin. He peeks in on the cast one last time to whisper a quick, “Break a leg!” Costa nods at him solemnly while the others smile and wave.

Fred had privately been sure the play would be a trainwreck, and, well... perhaps some would argue that it is. But the performance is far more fun than he ever would have imagined, and even the occasional technical glitches that cause Peter’s lines to be misplaced or skipped over add to the experience. Most importantly, the (albeit small) audience seems to enjoy it, and Fred is proud by the end that he was able to help in some way.

He finds Meg once the final bows are done and the cast has stepped backstage. “So what did you think?”

“No better or worse than I imagined,” Meg says with a smirk. “Come, let’s see what they’re getting up to backstage.”

Once they get back there, Meg and Jaquie descend into excited chatter, while Costa is off to the side talking animatedly on his phone. Given that, Fred walks up to Paige and Chelsey to better get to know them.

“Thanks so much for coming!” Chelsey says. “The laptops were a life saver.”

“Oh, no problem at all,” Fred says, adjusting his glasses. “I was going to say, kudos to you all for pulling it off. I have to admit I had my doubts.”

“We all did,” Paige says, amused. “Peter was really dedicated to keeping the part, though.”

Fred finds that the spark of jealousy he usually feels when he thinks about Peter isn’t quite there this time. “You all did a great job.”

As Paige and Chelsey are nodding their thanks, Costa rushes up to them, flustered. “Bad news, guys. It looks like our afterparty is on thin ice. I received a call from our assumed host, and it doesn’t look like they’re willing to give us the space after all.”

“I’m sorry, did I just hear there’s no party?” Meg asks, crossing the room with Jaquie. “C’mon, that’s the whole reason I’m here.”

“Not the _whole_ reason,” Jaquie says, nudging her.

“I’ll keep calling around,” Costa says. “We may be able to find an alternate venue.”

“Have it at my place,” Fred says easily. It seems an obvious choice, especially since there aren’t all that many people around. It might even be a smaller gathering than the surprise visit by Peter and company.

“Perfect!” Meg says, squeezing his arm quickly before moving away to send a text. To Paige and Chelsey, she adds, “Vegan Fred’s house is amazing, you guys.”

“Are you sure?” Costa asks, touching his other arm lightly. “It will be easy enough to make arrangements for the food and drink to go elsewhere, but we’d planned for at least twenty…”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Fred says, smiling. In the back of his mind, he’s already planning out the decorations he can toss up in the living room. And he can enlist Meg’s help in a quick batch of cookies he’d been meaning to make anyway. They were originally planned for Christmas, but it’s not as if anyone had been expecting them.

“We’ll all come help you set up, right guys?” Costa says, nodding at each of them in turn. “If you could just write down your address there, I’ll go and make a quick announcement to the others.”

They all follow him out as he makes his announcement, and Fred makes a quick mental note of the potential head count. Definitely reasonable for an impromptu party. Costa goes around to make sure everyone has the address that needs it.

“Alright, who wants to ride with me?” Fred asks, eager to get home and get things set up.

"Oh, a ride would be lovely," Costa says immediately. "I'll have someone bring my scooter over later, but I've got quite a lot of party supplies that would travel better in a car."

"Sounds good," Fred says. He checks with the others, but everyone else has a ride already.

On the ride home, Costa goes into detail about all the arrangements he's made for the party. “The food’s not all vegan, I’m afraid. I hadn’t exactly planned… but stickers! I’ve got stickers! We can label everything and use stickers for the vegan food.”

Costa digs out a sheet of fruit stickers from his bag and holds them up to show Fred. Fred has no idea why Costa happens to have fruit stickers with him, but he’s charmed nonetheless. “Sounds perfect. And I’m happy to whip up a few things. I bake quite a lot, so I keep a lot of ingredients on hand.”

He keeps his eyes on the road, but he can see Costa’s ever-present smile out of the corner of his eye. “Thanks again for hosting this. We really do owe you.”

“No problem. It will be nice to have everyone over again, with a little less… shall we say drama?”

There is a significant pause before Costa responds. “You do realize you’re inviting over a _theatre_ troupe. Drama is our middle name.”

“Right, of course,” Fred says with a smile as he turns onto his street. “My mistake.”

By the time people start showing up, the cookies are in the oven and one of Fred’s mates is on the way with some vegan-friendly snacks.

Fred doesn’t start drinking until the baking is done and he’s sure that everyone is having a good time. Meg reprimands him for waiting so long and makes him something with a double shot in it.

The drink makes it easier to go around and meet people. He recognizes most of the faces from Balthazar’s party, but he admittedly didn’t go around and talk to everyone at that party. He’s better off expanding his friend group than seeking out a boyfriend, anyway.

Once he’s satisfied that he’s at least greeted everyone, Fred joins Kit, Freddie, Meg, and Jaquie where they have gathered around the kitchen island.

“Great party, man,” Kit says, saluting him with his cup.

“Thank you,” Fred says automatically, “but it’s not really mine.” He doesn’t pay much attention as Meg takes his cup away and mixes him another drink. He trusts her. “How did you guys enjoy the show?”

“It was…” Freddie begins, cutting her eyes at Kit.

“…very interesting,” Kit finishes, nodding.

“How about the part when Peter’s brother interrupted the show?” Meg asks, amused.

“Oh, that was totally scripted,” Jaquie says, and for a moment, Fred believes her. But then her serious expression drops and she laughs along with the others, and Fred feels silly.

It’s at this moment that Costa sidles up to the island and helps himself to the bottle of rum. “What are we laughing about?” he asks with a hesitant smile.

“Peter’s brother joining the cast,” Jaquie says with a smirk.

Fred feels a stab of worry that Costa will take it personally and hurries to add, “Of course that couldn’t be helped, given the circumstances. It was actually quite—”

“Amazing, wasn’t it?” Costa exclaims, cutting him off. “You can’t replace the experience of real theatre. Everything happens in the moment. In a way, Peter’s brother _was_ Faustus for a minute, representing the inward battle of his mind.”

Fred laughs good-naturedly. There seems to be nothing that will bring Costa down. “So everything went as you envisioned it?”

“Even better,” Costa says, then dives animatedly into a retelling of his original vision and how it corresponds to what happened. By the end, Fred realizes the others have moved on to other parts of the house, and it’s just the two of them.

“I’m really glad that it worked out well,” he says sincerely. “Thank you for inviting me. I hope your date was still able to make it.”

He doesn’t know why he tacked that on. He feels instantly guilty when Costa’s smile freezes on his face. “Oh,” Costa begins, “no worries. Thanks again for all that _you've_ done. I’m sorry we didn’t manage to get your name on the programs.”

“That's really not a problem,” Fred says, blushing. He’s never met someone so positive and appreciative as Costa. It’s more than a little bit endearing. “Hey, why don’t we join everyone in the living room? I’d like to raise a toast.”

As he does, raising his drink to the cast and crew and calling out Costa in particular, Costa makes a big show of saying, “Oh, go on,” and trying to appear humble. Fred can see the pride in his eyes as they all toast to the show’s success.

An hour later, after checking in on a few people to see if they need anything, Fred finds himself seeking out Costa. He doesn’t see him in the kitchen or the living room, so he steps outside to the balcony. Sure enough, Costa is there, staring out into the night.

“You really have a gorgeous home,” Costa says when he spots Fred.

“Thank you,” Fred says. He walks up slowly, unsure if Costa wants a few moments to himself. “Can I get you anything?”

“I think you’ve already given us all plenty,” Costa says with a wry smile. He stares down into his empty cup for a moment. “I’m sorry, I’m afraid I’ve reached the maudlin stage of the drinking process.”

“It’s quite alright,” Fred says, leaning onto the balcony railing a reasonable distance away from Costa. “It beats the dizzy stage. Always fun in theory but terrible when it’s over.”

Costa laughs at that, though it’s a different laugh from his typical, effusive one. This time he seems a bit toned down.

Fred takes a few minutes to look up at the stars, enjoying the quiet moment. He looks back down when he feels warmth at his shoulder indicating Costa has moved next to him on the railing.

“You really did great work on your show,” Fred says, not sure what to do with a Costa that’s quiet and a little sad. “I’m sure as a director you don’t get enough credit for how much you put into it. But it all really came together.”

“It’s the ‘after’ that’s always difficult. I’m not sure what comes next,” Costa says.

Fred nods. “Give yourself some time to figure it out. You don’t have to jump back in immediately.”

“No, but I want to,” Costa says, fishing a small notebook out of his back pocket. He opens it on the railing, but the weak porch light isn’t enough to make the pages readable. “Have you ever… just jumped right in without a plan just to enjoy seeing what happens?”

“Never,” Fred says honestly, laughing. “I’m the type of person who has to have a plan and a back-up plan for everything. Though the concept seems very glamorous. I wish I could be more spontaneous.”

“You can be,” Costa assures him. “Honestly, work your way up to it of course, but you have the ability to make a snap decision at any time. Take it from me. I have very few regrets.”

And maybe it’s the chill in the air, or the low thrum of alcohol under his skin, or the steady way Costa keeps reaching out to casually touch him as they speak, but Fred decides in that moment to take his advice. He turns and moves into Costa’s space, backing him up a step as he cups his jaw and kisses him. Costa’s stubble is rough under his hand, and his lips part almost immediately in surprise. Fred has a moment of doubt until Costa slides a hand under his jacket to rest at his hip and kisses back with as much passion as Fred might have expected.

“Something like that?” Fred says a few moments later as he pulls away. His heart is thrumming in his chest, and even through his thrilled state, he can’t quite believe he did that.

“Precisely,” Costa says delightedly. His other hand has found it’s way to Fred’s shoulder, and he squeezes it mildly before taking a step back. With a laugh, he says, “I think you may have pulled me past the maudlin stage.”

“Should we go back inside?” Fred suggests. He’s not sure if he’d prefer to go in and resume his normal life or to stay outside and see what happens.

Costa studies him for a moment before stepping forward once more. “Maybe in a few minutes.”

***

When they rejoin the party, Fred feels distinctly disheveled. Costa shoehorns his way directly into a conversation with Chelsey and Jaquie, but Fred feels slightly out of place, as if everyone in the room knows he was just making out with a practical stranger on his balcony.

He finds Meg in the dining room taking pictures of Jacques. He joins her on the floor quietly, doing his level best not to distract his dog so that she can get her perfect photo.

“Have fun?” Meg asks without looking at him, and Fred feels heat rush to his cheeks.

“Yeah, the party’s going great,” he deflects, reaching up in an attempt to flatten his hair again.

Meg fixes him with a knowing stare.

“Alright, yes,” he murmurs, defeated. “Yes, having fun.” At her cheeky grin, he goes on, “Please don’t tell me that everyone was watching?”

“Not to worry, lover boy. I caused a distraction as soon as Jaquie and I realized what was going on. I have to say, I’m impressed. I didn’t expect you to just go for it like that.”

“Yeah,” Fred says quietly, petting Jacques as he waddles up to him. “It just sort of happened.”

“Good. I’m glad to see you letting loose a bit.”

“He’s actually a pretty cool guy,” he says, feeling defensive for some reason. He glances back toward the living room, where the white noise of conversation is coming from. “You guys don’t give him enough credit.”

He glances back to see the mischievous glint in Meg’s eye. “You _like_ him,” she says quietly and excitedly. “I thought you’d just stepped out for a quick bit of fun, but it’s not like that at all, is it?”

Fred swallows, wishing he knew a way not to get caught up on every interesting guy he meets. “I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Don’t be so morose,” Meg says, nudging his shoulder as she moves to stand up. “I have it on good authority that this one is actually single and not in love with his best friend.”

It’s an improvement, he’ll admit. He stands up and follows her back into the living room, saying, “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

His eyes catch Costa’s from across the room, and Costa gives him a small, almost shy smile before returning animatedly to his conversation.

Meg raises her eyebrows. Fred just scoffs good-naturedly and goes to find another drink.

As it starts getting late and it’s clear that some people will be no good to drive home, Fred stands on the couch to quickly announce that anyone who wants to crash here is welcome. He gets a round of applause that he wasn’t expecting and laughs as he stumbles off the couch.

He switches to water not long after that, wanting to make sure everyone has what they need to get through the night. In the end, when it seems the conversations are not soon ending, he leaves Meg in charge and goes to sleep.

The next morning, he wakes up a little later than normal, but still early enough to be the first one awake. He quietly pads into the kitchen to make coffee and see what breakfast he can whip up for everyone. He peeks into the living room and guest rooms to do a quick headcount, then pre-heats the oven and begins preparing muffins. It’s not long before others begin to shuffle in.

“Good morning. Coffee, water, aspirin?” Fred offers everyone that stumbles in looking bleary-eyed. Only Paige takes him up on the aspirin, but it’s not long before he needs to make some more coffee.

He feels a quick flutter in his chest when Costa pads in from the living room, his hair sticking up all over the place. He focuses on pulling the muffins from the oven and makes the same offer of coffee, water, aspirin to him.

“You are too kind,” Costa says, his hand skimming over Fred’s back as he slides past him to get some coffee. He’d received similar compliments from everyone for having coffee ready, but none of them had made him blush and look away like this.

“Muffins will be ready in a few,” he says to the group at large. There is a quiet murmur of thanks before they all go back to their phones and quiet conversations.

Kit and Freddie are the last to emerge, looking far less ragged than the rest of the group. As they all sit down and have some food, moods start to improve until they all seem to be back to their normal, endearingly ridiculous selves. Fred finally has to put a stop to an argument over penguins on the grounds that they’re never going to agree.

Costa stands and stretches exaggeratedly. Fred watches his shirt raise up to show skin briefly and quickly looks away. “Well, I should probably head home,” Costa says, nodding to each of them in turn. “Thank you all again for all you did for the play.”

His gaze rests on Fred last, and Fred instantly feels a spark of interest flaring up again. He catches the significant look Meg is sending his way and says, “I’ll walk you out,” before he can talk himself out of it.

Once outside, Costa tosses his bag onto the back of his scooter. Fred is a little surprised to find it there; he has no idea who drove it over.

“Are you sure you’re good to get home? You’re welcome to stay a bit longer.”

“Positive. I have a good feeling about today. Lots of thoughts,” he gestures wildly around his head, “buzzing about. I should focus on that. Get some ideas moving.”

Fred smiles at the return of Costa’s vibrant personality now that he’s properly awake. He finds he doesn’t regret for a second their private moment from the night before. “Right, well, good luck.”

“Thanks!” Costa says brightly, fussing over his duffel bag to make sure it's tied down.

“Maybe you can text me about it,” Fred says in a rush. “Might help keep you inspired.” He watches a car heading down the street and realizes this is probably the first time he's ever had reason to stand out here in his pajamas.

“Yes, great idea!” Costa says, then pauses before getting on the scooter. “Oh, but I don’t have your number.”

“However can we solve this problem?” Fred says, trying for his most charming smile.

Costa fumbles his phone out of his pocket, nearly dropping it in the process. Fred takes a step forward to catch it when he thinks it will fall, bringing him firmly into Costa’s space. “Got it,” Costa says with a nervous laugh. He taps on the screen for a moment then hands it over, saying, “Um, if you don’t mind.”

Fred keys in his number diligently, then adds his email address for good measure. “Mind if I send myself a quick message? Y’know, so I’ll have yours as well.”

“Oh, I’ll do it,” Costa says, taking his phone back and skimming his fingers over the keys lightning fast. Fred left his phone inside, so he’ll have to wait until he goes back in to see what Costa sent.

“I hope you enjoyed—” Fred starts to say, but he’s overlapped by Costa blurting out, “We should have dinner sometime.”

“Sorry,” they both say simultaneously.

Fred laughs and squeezes Costa’s arm. “I’d love to have dinner. Text me.”

“I will,” Costa says sincerely. With a little laugh, he adds, “I already have.”

“Good,” Fred says, then makes a move to step away.

Before he can get that far, though, Costa reaches out to put a hand on his hip, then slide it around to his back as he moves forward to give him a quick but thorough kiss. Fred barely has time to react before Costa pulls back and says, “For the inspiration!”

Fred laughs again. Costa is quite possibly the most ridiculous man he has ever met, and he’s loving every second of it. He pulls Costa back in and captures his lips with his own, feeling daring. “For the inspiration,” he agrees.

Costa jumps onto his scooter with as much energy as ever, and Fred just laughs and waves as he watches him go.

***

When Fred gets back inside, he’s greeted with a thorough round of applause. He groans and shoots Meg a stern look, though she throws her hands up and says, “Don’t look at me.”

“Sorry, man,” Kit says, not looking at all remorseful. “I just happened to notice you’d been gone a while. I didn’t mean to make it a whole thing.”

Kit is remarkably easy to forgive, so Fred doesn’t press it any further. He retrieves his phone from the counter as Freddie says, “Seriously, though, Costa? Are you sure you can… handle all of that?”

Fred glances at his notifications, where Costa’s message sits at the top: _your party was nearly as charming as your smile. here’s to no regrets._ “Positive,” he says, smiling.

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> I could probably write about these two forever. Let me know if you want more. :P You can find me on [tumblr](http://candidlily.tumblr.com)!


End file.
